Bellflower Home Garden Mutual Water Company is a small mutual water system in Bellflower serving approximately 1,200 residents through 375 unmetered connections. The company purchases 100% of its water from Bellflower Somerset Mutual Water Company and has no active wells, reservoirs, or emergency interconnections. Originally constructed in the 1920s–30s, the system has been largely upgraded over time, with most distribution mains replaced with C900 pipe in the 1970s and service lines upgraded to one-inch copper.
The volunteer-managed company sought to modernize its system, enhance water conservation, and streamline system management through participation in the CalMutuals–DWR Small Supplier Water Conservation Assistance Program. However, like many small systems, it lacked the deep technical expertise and certain resources necessary to fully implement the program.
Charter Members Covina Valley Water Company and Bellflower Somerset Water Company generously stepped forward to share their time, talent, and resources.
Covina Valley’s Operations Supervisor, Tim Pacheco, provided hands-on assistance with initial system assessments, troubleshooting valves with challenging configurations and difficult access points. He shared specialized equipment and Saturday mornings to help locate valves and offered guidance and technical support throughout the program.
Bellflower Somerset’s General Manager, Steve Lenton, allowed the company to utilize storage facilities for the delivery and staging of meters and meter boxes, facilitated daily access to those facilities, and identified resources for traffic control and helped with drafting and navigating permits required for meter installation along a busy city street.
Special thanks to these and other Charter Members whose work — provided on a reimbursement basis — made it possible for small systems like Bellflower Home Garden Mutual Water Company to participate in and benefit from this important State conservation program. Without their collaboration and support, participation would not have been feasible.